Glass Wings
by Icya
Summary: Tiara and Grahm romance, where Grahm finally understand the meaning of love, oh there's a hint of a murder in there too. Chapter two uploaded, sorry it took so long, I was on vacation..
1. Prologue

Prologue: Lapse  
  
The clouds parted as the moon once again appeared from behind her thin silk mask, giving a dim light to the darkened forest.  
  
Thick trees branches intertwined, making a canopy to shield the rain and hide the lights, making the forest seems almost unapproachable. An owl wooed, twisting its neck in that inhuman way to catch a glance of the movements on the ground behind. It took flight as the feathered wings flapped, its claws digging into the skin of that wild mouse on its night hunt for grains.  
  
Tiara winced as she examined her broken leg, bending in a strange position away from her body. The blood drenched her clothes, leaking into her boot, though it didn't bothered her, all she could feel was pain from her right leg, nothing more.  
  
She made several attempts to rise a short while ago, and decided that it did nothing expect for making the pain worse and putting her in more uncomfortable positions than she was in before her attempts.  
  
Tiara swallowed the blood dripping her the corner of her mouth, the wiped the rest away with the back of her free hand while the other clutched the around her waist. There was a wound on the left side of her waist, but from the pressure of her right hand for the past half an hour, the bleeding slowed.  
  
Choking down a sob that threatened to escape, the young guardian throws her head back in exhaustion, feeling the growing dew of the night brushing against her hair.  
  
This was a mistake. She thought bitterly to herself. A complete mistake.   
  
The pain on her side dulled while the sharp stabs from her leg turned slowly to an ache with time. Tiara felt tired, more drained than anytime she could remember, but she had a guess that if she closed her eyes, the long sleep would come and she would never wake again. Blinking away the tears that swelled in her eyes, her breathes quickened.  
  
"Why?" Tiara whispered as the lights dimmed around her.  
  
Sleep came easily. 


	2. Chapter One

Dawn  
  
Tiara's eyes snapped open at the hint of light, peeking into the darkened room from the opened window drapes. She raised a hand to rub the sleep from her visage while pushing herself up from the bed into a sitting position. It was about five thirty in the morning, she guessed, already the birds were chirping outside her window and the sun complained about her habit of getting up late in the morning.  
  
She stiffed a yawn and stretched, throwing her legs over the bed and onto the floor, the supported her weight on them. Her nightgown was short, then again, it was about three years old and doesn't fit right because she's grown in the last three years, but she just couldn't bring the heart of tossing them out. Kagestu gave it to her, and a matching one for Sara. She tugged the rim of the petite nightdress to make it cover the essential parts, then paced to the bathroom door and opened it with one hand.  
  
After refreshing herself, she dried her hair with a towel and changed into a sundress, one that she bought a couple of weeks ago, one that Kastuge liked, if she recalled correctly, Tiara marched out of her room.  
  
The hallway seemed endless, even though she lived in this large house for most of her life, she was still not used to the cold hallways and the half empty rooms. She shrugged the nervousness from her mind and stress suddenly filled it. She was supposed to find a creature, 'they' didn't tell her what it was, but mentioned it would be a dangerous work even for someone like her. Now she remembered the reason why sleep came reluctantly last night.  
  
Biting her lower lip lightly, she stopped herself after realizing her actions. It was a bad habit, one she never seemed to be able to rid of, one that often show up along with the pressure of stress. She sighed deeply and walks down the decorative stairs, covered with the light red carpet, fading into the snow-white walls.  
  
The stress was making her crazy, Tiara grits her teeth and turned towards her right after she stepped off the last step, the kitchen was to the left, but food held no lure over her at the moment when anxiety commanded her mind. Sliding open the glass door, the young woman stepped into the sun and stride to the flower field. That was the place where she always went when anything was bothering her, a place where she could almost call a second home when the weather was fair.  
  
Breathing in the fresh air, Tiara danced into the field of blossoms.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The petals flew with the gentle hand of the breeze, filling the sky with colors of white, red, blue, and everything in between. The air smelled of the scent of flowers, calm to the senses.  
  
Grahm watched Tiara as she rested in the bed of petals, staring into the sky with her beautiful crystal like orbs. He leaned against the willow tree about a foot away, hiding in the shadows. She never liked to be disturbed at times like these, where the fairy danced in the field of blossoms and enjoyed the minutes without any tension in her life, but as a partner, he could not leave her alone, even at a place such as this. He was to protect her, even if it meant his death.  
  
A cracked swig caused him to spun towards the noise, instantly alert and ready to battle with the worst foes in the worlds, but instead found another slender figure standing before him, a tell woman with beautiful long hair and a delicate air that always surround her.  
  
Lena.  
  
"I'm sorry Miss Lena." Came the response, an almost automatic answer for a partner.  
  
Lena smiled warmly with a raised eyebrow as she paced forward, "no need for apology, you've done nothing wrong." She found the lying figure of Tiara in the mist of colors as a frown covered her face for an instant, then it was gone. "She's here again, I should of guessed." Turning her attention back to Grahm, she shook her head lightly. "I suppose you'll just have to deliver my message from the 'elders'."  
  
Grahm nodded, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet for better balance as he pushed himself away from the willow tree. "Of course." No more words. He learned the hard way that speaking too much was a bad thing for a partner a couple of month ago, and finally decided to say only what was necessary and expected.  
  
"Tell her that the 'elders' wants her too carry out their orders as soon as she can, time's not on our side." The young woman turned with grace and stepped away from the nodding partner after her message was delivered, her dress flowing with the touch of wind.  
  
Grahm watched her leave, though he couldn't get a random question out of his mind. It wouldn't be a thing to ask Tiara about, of course not, and then who would be the next best person to ask? He dashed towards the leaving Lena and stopped as he reached her and paced a step behind her. "Miss Lena, please wait."  
  
Lena's steps paused as she turned her head a bit to face the one that questioned her. "Yes?"  
  
"Uh..." Grahm paused, finding the right words in his mind slowly. "What does, Tiara mean?"  
  
Lena's eyes filled with shock as the unforeseen question, then she broke down to a light giggle. After she calmed herself, she turned her body fully around and answered. "It's a women's hair decoration."  
  
His head tilted to one side as confusion coated his face. "What?"  
  
The young woman sighed, disappointed at the lack of everyday knowledge known by the Partner, then walked to a willow tree. She tipped her toes and broke off a branch of willow and held it in her hands as she strolled back. Folding the long branch with both hands, she made a ring of leaves and held it out before her. "It looks kind of like this, but most are made of precious material like gold, white gold, or silver, embedded with gems. Most women love those things."  
  
Grahm examined the tiara, picking it up with both of his hands, lightly as not to even bend a leaf. "Oh."  
  
Lena turned once more, pacing away as a small smile crept her lips. She raised her voice to be heard as she began to disappear into the out stretching branches of different foliage about. "I do wonder about you sometimes Grahm, it's almost like you're in love with her by the way you ask your strange questions." She peeked toward him one last time with a small smile on her face, then all trace of her existence vanished from the garden.  
  
Grahm stood where he was before she left, holding the tiara with one hand. He whispered to himself as another question emerged from the depth of his mind. "What does love mean?" 


	3. Chapter Two

Questions  
  
The noon sun shined into the opened windows, warming up the air about and brought a sense of clam to the world as the birds chirped, twisting their little heads as they sang their songs from the heart, looking around for a suitable mate.  
  
It was a glorious day, one that would turn bring a sense of laziness to everyone, taking them from their work and into relaxation.  
  
Seated before a desk in an almost empty room, someone gazed firmly toward his hands, all attention given to the tiny object the fingers seemed to manipulate. He face was covered with a light hint of sweat, eyebrows knotted and lips half bitten, his back curved into an almost hunchback position as his face just inches from his hands.  
  
The thin leaf covered branch snapped in his hands, broken into two pieces as Grahm starred blankly at the 'master piece' between his fingers, not moving away from the portions of wood even if a few parts ended up hitting him quite closed to his opened eye. This was the third one he tried to make this morning, and with each miserable attempt came the endless failures.  
  
Soft sighs escaped his lips as Grahm places the broken branch on the desk he sat before, laying them next to the rest of those fragments. It appeared that he was no good at things like that, working with his hands that is.  
  
A flicker of annoyance flew by as he muttered a curse at his own uselessness, then he thought about how Miss Lena seemed to have the ability to do things as this with much ease irritated him.  
  
Maybe it was because she was a Guardian.  
  
Yes, that must be it.  
  
The Partner stood up from the wooden chair he occupied for the past two hours and stretched his body, his fingers crossed and his back arched. Who would of guess someone could be so tired from sitting?  
  
It was about twelve if he guessed right as Grahm looked out the window; Tiara should be out of school soon. She told him not to follow her that morning despite his worried looks and half finished arguments, something about how his appearance she said, and then told him not to worry because Miss Lena and Leon were going to be there.  
  
Grahm calculated the time it would take Tiara to get back 'home' from school and ended up with forty-five minutes or so. "Better not waste any time." The young man states as he seated himself with new found enthusiasm and picked up another branch.  
  
He was determined to make something for her; after all, she deserved it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He trailed after the elegant form of the woman, his face expressionless as the three of them turned a corner, away from the busy streets where the cars roared and the sea of people chattered as if there was no tomorrow. The two guardians seemed extremely calm and quiet for some unknown reason; actually, there was a sense of dread between them, though he thought it was better if he didn't say anything. Tiara gets irritated from those sudden outbursts.  
  
Leon exhaled as he traced Lena's footsteps.  
  
"That's far enough." Lena suddenly declared as she turned a corner and stopped, halting the other two in mid-step. "This look as good as place as any."  
  
It was a narrow hallway in the back of some building, narrow, dark, and got anyone in it a sense of insecurity. The bricks on each side were painted gray, as if the one who designed this alley seemed to be mentally disturbed and wanted the rest of the world to share his insanity.  
  
Leon found himself a space next to the cooled wall as soon as the two ladies settle down, staring towards each other like tigers ready to pounce.  
  
Rivals.  
  
Somehow that idea disturbed him as much as the thought of not having another cigarette for the rest of him life, even if Miss Lena told him many times that this habit would ruin his health. A spark of anger touched his usually tranquil face; he masked it well. What was so good about that Katsuge guy anyway? He gritted his teeth. He would only end up hurting one of the two ladies before him, if not both. And by the look of it, Miss Lena seemed to be loosing to Tiara, all because she's too timid to hurt a friend.  
  
Leon shifted in his standing position in an effort to try and shake off any disturbing thoughts. He started to pay attention to the conversation between the two ladies.  
  
"What are you trying to tell me?" Tiara spoke as she crossed her arms and her head tilted to one side of her shoulder. One of her feet was tapping on the ground, the bottom of the heel made sharp noises in the nearly silenced alley.  
  
"Your assignment of course." Lena smiled warmly, but Leon could sense a suggestion of ice in that sun-beamed smile. "I just wanted to help, that's all."  
  
An eyebrow rose as Tiara's lips thinned. "Are you saying I'm not good enough to do this alone?"  
  
"Why no, of course not. I'm just curious."  
  
The blond threw her head to one side, her hair flinging and suspended in air for a split second, bring a scent of spice and flowers. A flower that differed from Miss Lena's lavender scent.  
  
Lena shook her head slightly, then took a step forward. "I want to know why."  
  
"Know why what?"  
  
"Why that Guardian died."  
  
Tiara shifted her eyes back to her friend and rival, then shrugged lightly. "What ever you say, it's not like I can stop you from butting in."  
  
Leon took his normal space behind Lena as she mentioned him to come with a movement of her head. It was strange how he could tell those slight signs of agitation from the other wise perfect face of his Guardian. Maybe he's been with her for far too long. Nah.  
  
He followed her out of the alley, his footsteps silent as always. Something about that conversation bothered him, but he couldn't quite get his finger on it.   
  
"Leon?" He turned his attention back to the speak before him and all of his other concerns flew out the window. 


End file.
